Did a bit of back reading through bike mags and found a route that seemed interesting, to any of you in Shropshire, sure you will know it, A488 to Bishops Castle.
Set off from Macc to Congleton, fast road, Congleton to Sandbach, fast road again. Onto Crewe, fast but not to interesting. Through Crewe to Nantwich, town stuff, boring.
Took the turning to Audlem, not a bad road, twisty enjoyment, stop off at the Shroppie Fly for refreshment by the canal. Cross the lock, lie in the shade and take in the quintessential English view, Pub, Mill [now a pub] in the background, lock keepers cottage, narrow boats,excellent.
Immediatley turn left from the Shroppie Fly to Market Drayton, excellent road, fast twisty brill !
Then head to Shrewsbury in search of the A488, ride through Shrewsbury, not a sign for it, fuel required so take a ganders at map books, ahh thats where we need to be. head along the A5 and loh and behold there's the A488.
Firsly get through the 30 zones that seem to keep coming one after the other, quiet, quaint little villages, and then just when youy are getting bored, whey hey, here we go. Tight left and rights, blind brows, all linked together by occainsional fast straights. not alot of traffic, some slowmoving farm vehicles, but we've all gotta eat, bread at least.
The bends keep coming and coming, try not to be too optomistic on the first run, never know what a bend is going to do, but put your faith in your road reading skills.
Eventually we stop at a pub in Clun and the usual recounts of this that and the other, all mixed in with a lavish ammount of macho bull, and non alcholic refreshment.
From there we follow a B road that brings us to Newtown, in deepest, darkest Mid Wales. The two of us call ourselves "Fookarwe", basically because it's a question asked alot of the time we are out, where the fook are we?
So decision is made to head for Welshpool, then to Oswestry, again fast sweeping roads, where is all the traffic? Oswestry, back on familiar territory then leads us to Ellesmere, we know where we are now. A brilliant road that takes you to Whitchurch. Starts off uphill twistys, through a small village, the road then oens out out into a fast one with many fine fast sweeping bends, keep the power on, just revel in the freedom and push yourself to your limits, finish off by negotiating the couple of slow bends at the end.
Then the fast links through to Nantwich, twisty bits thrown in a really nice road. Slow down and back through Crewe towards Sandbach, some really really fast full throttle striaghts here, chin on tank, squeeze your sphincter tight and go for it.
Once out of Sanbach, it goes towards mental again, if anyone reading this has ridden Sandbach - Congleton, through Arclid cross roads, or vice versa, you will know what I mean, I love roads with fast sweeping bends, keeping the power on and seeing how fast you can fire yourself out of them.
The challenge now arises, through Congleton towards the A34, once you hit the triangle shaped island with the pub, head for home, Macclesfield, the deristricted sign appears just after the right - left, by this time you are gunning it, not too quick over the blind brow, and then crank it up, downhill left, followed by uphill right, accelerating on the short straight with the kink in the middle to Eaton, a 40 zone.
Time to steady yourself, through the short 40 zone, at the first sign of the deristricted zone, nail it, second into third, a 70 degree left, keep it nailed, short straight followed by a left, right filck, flack, fortune favours the brave, third gear, 80 -85 through the first left, keep the power on exit the right at 90+, accelerate towards the next left, a couple of hundred yards away, brake, 70 through the left, the hedge is coming towards you, keep it leant over, changing immediatley into a right, power on all the time, this opens up to a wider A road, fast sweepers then into a shortish straight, 120 - 130, right hander at the end, faster than you think, 90 - 100 towards the next left keeping the throttle open, 90 - 100 round the left hander, keep going accelerating to the Tarmac quarry exit, shellgrip here, 110 - 115, then off and brake down to 50 almost immediatley. Through the 50 zone and off again, left hander top of the brow, 90 +, then open the throttle again, down the slight incline towards the minor kink and heading to the 40 zone sign, top of a crest, ease off and down to near the speed limit, cruise towards the Flower Pot and stop for refreshment and to catch your breath, the adrenalin is still high and the babble goes on for a while till you calm down.
There is nothing like riding a road you know fast and well, no backing off keeping it nailed as fast as you can, you are alive and ready to die for the thrill.
No wonder my Mich high sports don't look as though they will do much more tha 3000 miles.
If you have read this, many thanx for reading the innane ramblings of a senile old man!
